


1 Song/Cup (One Song Per Cup)

by arisanite



Series: The Coffee Diva [2]
Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Bands, Coffee Shop, Coincidences, F/M, Fluff, Poetry, Poetry Day, Romance, Serenade, Singing, Slow Build, Spanish Songs, actor!tom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 01:43:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3672837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arisanite/pseuds/arisanite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/895143">1 Song/Night</a>. Its World Poetry day and you have the option to pay for your drink with a poem. Well, you’re the cafe’s renowned singer. Can you pull it off with a little song? Not to mention that your favorite fan just topped the records off with his favorite poetry...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1 Song/Cup (One Song Per Cup)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this prompt](http://lokiwholockfactory.tumblr.com/post/114391419305/coffee-company-allows-customers-to-pay-with-a-poem) on World Poetry Day.

_\-- The shepherds's swains shall dance and sing_

_For thy delight each May morning:_

_If these delights thy mind may move,_

_Then live with me and be my love._

 

He ended with a small bow, causing the small crowd surrounding him to look at his tall frame in awe, as they applauded once he completed the poem by Christopher Marlowe. He looked up and shot the ladies in the vicinity with that winning smile, including that familiar-looking barista who had to initially hide the way she rolled her eyes before smiling back, clapping as well.

Well then, he was free from the bill and he gracefully moved aside to the waiting counter, casually running a hand through his curls. He was used to this kind of attention – and this kind of attention was particularly small, comparable during the time when he was still focused on his theatre work.

But then again, right now he is already connected with the Big Listers so...

“Here you go Tom,” the other barista in charge with the preparation reached over the waiting counter, handing his favorite brew of Chai and milk, giving him that gracious smile she always offers the customers. He is considered a regular after all. He had been frequenting this coffee haunt for years, but he hasn’t been around for a while since he’d been away on this long shoot that required him to be in a far-away location for months. The first thing he wanted to do when he returned was to visit his favorite cafe... and honestly, the coffee is only one of the reasons why he was there.

He had barely left the condiment section that was barely seen under the stairs when he heard the soft chimes hung upon the entrance humming...

He didn’t have to turn around to see who took his place in front of the cashier.

 

“Good morning, _madam_! What will you be having for today?”

 

Tom could even identify the mischief in the barista’s voice. The one who was manning the cashier actually knew the _costumer_ who was in front of the counter. In fact, they’ve been best friends forever. This particular familiar-faced barista he was initially reciting a poem for currently lost her job and had to ask the cafe owner a favor if she could step in and do some work for them for a while as she is trying to figure out her next career path. How did he know all this? He wasn’t really a stalker but... let’s just say that he was close.

Very close.

 

“I think I’ll have the Morrocan Mint Tea,” that _heavenly voice_ replied, and Tom had to close his eyes upon hearing her speak. He hasn’t heard that voice for a very long time and he can feel goosebumps form all over his body upon hearing it... sending this happy shiver running down his spine. He couldn’t help but smile upon hearing her make that order. He was the one who introduced her to drinking Mint Tea anyway.

“You _think?_ ” The barista answered in a sarcastic manner, causing her co-worker to nudge her in the rib.

Tom couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing that.

“Sorry –“ the female barista corrected herself. “That would be $2.75. Would you be paying via cash or poetry?”

“It’s today?!” _she_ replied, looking up at the “specials” portion of the board, realizing that it’s that one day you can have your cup of coffee for free. That is if you have a poem at hand or you’d be brave enough to recite it in public... “Oh my Lord...”

“Yes it is _, sugar_ ,” the barista’s mischievous tone earned her another elbow to the rib. “So what’s it gonna be?”

He heard her tap her nails on the surface of the counter, and he slowly turned around hoping he wouldn’t be noticed as he blew on his hard earned cup of coffee that was paid for by one erotically sweet poem he had to snatch off the back of his head. He _wasn’t ready_. Of course he wanted this – _she is probably the reason he was there_ , but he wasn’t expecting her to be in the cafe _this early_. Suddenly, there was this bout of anxiety that threatened to take over him, and the confident actor who had no problems memorizing his lines was overcome with nervousness.

He watched her stall in front of the counter, quietly thinking, before she rocked on the balls of her feet, slamming her hands quietly on the wooden surface of the cashier shaft, seemingly making up her mind.

What she said next made his heart jump – and he hasn’t even had his proper shot of caffeine that morning yet.

 

“Can I sing for it?”

 

“ _What?!_ ” her barista friend who knew of her singing prowess – as she is unofficially considered as _one of the Cafe Divas_ , since she and her friends (including the silly and playful barista she is talking to) do live performances on the cafe balcony past 9pm every night – exclaimed in surprise and what seemed to be feigning frustration, judging the giggles of the other baristas behind her. “You’re cheating –“

“But a song is basically a poem,” she argued as she clutched and adjusted the strap of her messenger bag slung across her chest. “With music! You’ve got to let me –“

“I’m sorry but management –“ The barista had another elbow – but this time to her arm by the manager, who was one of the co-owners of the cafe.

Tom couldn’t help but hide a giggle as he subtly watched from nearby the condiments stand, his enthusiasm peaked along with the several customers who were watching the entire spectacle. He felt his heart flutter. He hasn’t felt this gigglish before. Not for a very long time.

“You can definitely pay for it with a song,” the middle-aged woman with the “Manager” tag and the differing uniform replied, smiling brightly at the customer – another of their regulars. In fact she was probably more than a regular in her cafe, having provided services (that do not even need payment) for her business.

 _And she’s even more than that_ , Tom thought happily, his cheeks blushing as he watched the commotion at the cashier.

“Great!” The girl exclaimed, a beautiful smile lighting up her face.

“Whenever you’re ready,” her friend the barista exclaimed, wearing a smile that was akin to a challenge.

Tom held his breath as he watched in obscurity, as the girl cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

 

 

_Tanto tiempo disfrutamos de este amor_

_Nuestras almas se acercaron tanto asi_

_Que yo guardo tu sabor_

_Pero tu llevas tambien_

_Sabor a mi..._

 

 

Those baby blues widened upon hearing the song.

He swore he felt time stop upon hearing her voice again.

And the song...

Well, for one it wasn’t really a well-known song in that part of town, but he has heard of it. If you’d been watching those old movies and fell in love with Eydie Gorme at some point, you’d be familiar with this song. He isn’t saying that there wasn’t a lot of Spanish speakers in the area, but despite being a well-known love ballad that has been sung by various artists, he could say that anyone who has heard it before can definitely identify with it... Especially someone _who kept listening to it in his mother’s house back in his Uni days..._

And then came the heart pounding thumps from his chest when he started hearing the lyrics as it is _since he can actually understand it..._

 

 

_Si negaras mi presencia en tu vivir_

_Bastaria con abrazarte y conversar_

_Tanta vida yo te di_

_Que por fuerza tienes ya_

_Sabor a mi..._

 

 

He couldn’t help but blush.

The lyrics she used to break out into song, _and in acapella too_ , talked of an eternal love – of an _eternal taste_ that cannot be wiped off someone’s lips when you loved them...

Well these weren’t the exact lyrics but it was all he could think off as he gently wiped the foam from his mouth, thinking about how warm it was to be held as it had been stated in the second stanza of the song...

And what was ironic about it is that _love_ was all he could think of the moment he walked into this cafe, hoping to see her there.

And she just managed to translate his feelings into a song.

However, he had to snap out of his thoughts when she suddenly came to a finish, making him wonder why she didn’t complete the entire song...

 

 

_Sabor a mi!_

 

 

Applause filled the air.

He could hear it but he felt as if he was stuck in the moment, just staring at the girl who looked around the vicinity with the well-wishers and impressed customers who stood up and clapped for her. Tom was so relieved that 1) he remained hidden underneath the staircase beside the condiments, and 2) he didn’t drop his cup of coffee.

She must have been very flustered as she turned around and evaded that silly little smile from her barista friend as she moved towards the claim counter that she barely even noticed that tall man with the curly blonde hair quietly disappear from the crowd, giving her one lingering look before going upstairs.

She probably got her mint tea a few minutes later from one of the impressed looking co-workers of her old friend, before she realized that she had nowhere to sit down on the first floor. Tapping her membership card on the tray holding the precious hot drink that she won with a song, she picked up the rest of her order and made her way up the stairs.

There was a pleased expression on her face as she saw the second floor to be seemingly vacant, almost akin to what she was wearing earlier when she was being applauded by the morning crowd, something she wasn’t used to considering that she was familiar with and sang to the evening crowd. She was about to approach the famous veranda where she and her friends always stayed and sang till the wee hours of the morning, when she barely noticed someone from a blind spot beneath the stairs, sitting on the wide couches all by himself.

 

“That song seems incomplete,” that deep baritone shook her to the core, causing her to stop in her tracks, spilling a bit of the tea on the sides of the cup. “Don’t you think darling?”

_You_ slowly turned around to face that familiar voice that keeps you awake at night, _talking to you over the phone_... especially when he can’t wait to hear your voice after being away for months on end...

You haven’t seen him for a long while, and you didn’t expect him to be back – on Poetry Day nonetheless.

 

“Tom...”

 

You felt your heart skip a beat as you watched him rise from his seat, wiping the coffee foam off his mouth as he approached you, quietly taking the tray from your hands like a gentleman and placing it aside on a table close to the two of you... You were about to retort when he suddenly opened his mouth and sang that _missing stanza_ from the song you sang earlier.

 

 

_No pretendo ser tu dueno_

_No soy nada yo no tengo vanidad_

_De mi vida doy lo bueno_

_Soy tan pobre, que otra cosa puedo dar?_

 

 

You felt all the color rush to your cheeks, and you were positive that he saw this with the way he smiled that he saw this... and with the way those blue eyes twinkled, you knew he was very pleased.

After all, he just sang that one part of the song that stated how he wanted to give you _everything_ even if _he had nothing to his name_... All of a sudden just when you thought he was gone for so long that he’d forgotten about the two of you... You realize that it wasn’t the case.

 

No it wasn’t at all.

 

You take a deep breath the moment he stepped closer to you, and closed your eyes... and sang your reply to that stanza he just sang for you.

 

 

_Pasaran más de mil años, muchos más_

_Yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad_

_Pero allá, tal como aquí_

_En la boca llevarás_

_Sabor a mi..._

 

 

To your surprise, he managed to open his mouth and sing with you as well – following the second voice of the intended melody, suddenly filling the empty room with a harmony you never expected from the two of you...

You never heard him sing before. Well in interviews and live fan interactions you saw on the internet when you were trying to figure out who he was a long time ago... but you never had the pleasure of having him sing in front of you. And you had to admit he had a good voice. Probably better than yours.

But what made the red on your cheeks even vibrant was the words he just sang with you...

 

“A thousand years and more

I do not know if love exists in eternity

But there, just like here

In your mouth you will always carry a taste of me...”

 

You opened your eyes to find those big hands cradling your face, with tears forming in his eyes as if he saw you for the first time after being away for so long. Your hands quickly shot up to hold his as you felt him lean down and press his forehead against yours, a smile that cannot be erased forming on his face.

“Tom,” you tried to speak, shaking your head. There we so many things you wanted to say. You wanted to apologize for doubting him if he’d ever come back to you. You wanted to tell him how happy you were that he was finally there. So many words.

“I –“

You felt him gently shift one of his fingers to press against your mouth, as you watched him shake his head and part his lips.

“It’s alright,” he whispered. “I’m here –“

He wasn’t able to finish it as he quickly closed the distance between your face and his, finally giving you that kiss you yearned for ever since that first date after the two of you met on the train, officially introducing each other. He promised he’d be back and he’d be waiting for your answer if you did really want to be with him, and you _were so glad he was there to hear your song_.

It was enough.

It was your answer.

Suddenly you understood how someone’s taste would last forever once they imprint it on you with so many meanings... Deep and passionate meanings...

 

“I missed you.”

 

You found him smiling as he heard those words from your mouth. He couldn’t hold back those tears from those blue eyes anymore as he feebly raised a hand to wipe them off those cheekbones. “I missed you too,” he whispered in the same softness you did, causing you to smile and bite your lips as well.

Both of you were lost in the moment, remaining speechless for a while, laughing and smiling at each other, as if a huge baggage were taken of your chests.

Tom eventually interrupted the moment by trying to lean in for another kiss when –

 

“OH MY GOD I’M SORRY –“

 

It was your Barista-Best-Friend who came up during her break, wanting to chat with the two of you. She almost caught you both in a liplock, causing the two of you to blush – quickly disengaging from each other’s embrace once someone came into the picture.

Of course you had quite a silly little row with your friend to cover up the way you blushed so badly...

But as he stood there beaming and laughing with your little sarcastic comments with your friend who couldn’t stop giggling; all Tom could think about is how much he loved that day.

Suddenly he felt so thankful that he turned up for Poetry day.

**Author's Note:**

> The song used in this fic is “Sabor a Mi” by Edie Gorme and the Trio Los Panchos. [You can find the translation here.](http://lyricstranslate.com/en/sabor-mi-my-flavour.html)


End file.
